yourdogisnotawolf:

albinocoyote:

lauraacan2:

albinocoyote:

After doing a bit of research and talking to a couple more knowledable people I’ve learned that Nic came from a horrible “wolfdog breeder” here in AL. They’re known for mistreating their animals as well as their customers. Nic’s mother is a very very low-content wolfdog with some Tamaskan in her history. I believe this is where he got some of his odd and somewhat wolfy traits. I think he’s too low to even consider him a low/no content wolfdog but it is in his recent history making the cause of some of his traits a bit mote clear.

He has a lot of emotional issues either from abuse from his previous owner or his terrible time as a pup there at that breeder. They were basically a puppy mill so I know he was not treated well there. Hopefully it’s not so ingrained in him that he won’t ever fully relax here with me. We’ll have to wait and see but I hope he comes around, even if it takes him a while.

If i may give you a piece of advice regarding dog behaviour. You may already know but dogs usually mirror the behavior of the “dominant” in a pack, in your case: you. The best way to have a relaxed dog is to be yourself extremely relaxed, especially in stressful situations. And to never pet the dog to reassure him, because petting is usually seen as a reward for a good behavior. You’d tell him"good boy, your stressed attitude is the right one". The best way to sooth a dog is to be calm.
Well good luck with this amazing dog, I hope he’ll recover soon! (And don’t hesitate to see a professional dog trainer in whom you trust!)

Thank you, I appreciate your advice. I do agree with you that being calm around a dog is the best way to keep a dog calm and show him when it is okay to be calm vs. stressed, but the whole “pack dominance” idea does not apply to dogs(or wolves for that matter).

Dogs will not believe they are the “alpha”. That is an idea that doesn’t even apply to what we now know about wolves in the wild. Natural wild wolf packs don’t have ranks, they don’t consistently compete with each other to take over the pack and be the so called “alpha”. This only applies to artificially composed packs, i.a. in zoos, where there are no natural leaders. Instead, in wild packs, there is a natural pack composition: a lone male wolf joins up with a lone female wolf, they mate and then this breeding pair automatically becomes the “leading” pair of their pack, which is basically just a family – comparable to human families.

When talking about dogs: “Dominance” is the most misunderstood word used to describe dog behavior. It stems from research on captive wolves published in the ’60s and ’70s. While the information may be accurate for the artificial grouping of wolves in captivity, its application to wild wolves and the domesticated dog is outdated.

Despite new research, the concept that wolves and their close relative, the dog, vie for dominance within a pack simply won’t go away. With the notion that an animal is in constant pursuit of obtaining the top position, any aggressive behavior can be misinterpreted as “dominance”. As a result, it makes sense that well-meaning pet owners accept physical force as a way to discipline an animal behaving in a “dominant” manner. After all, that’s what wolves do, right?

Actually, no, not at all! Most of the time, wolf packs are made up of a breeding male and female, and their offspring. They are related, intact animals that use ritualistic displays to communicate and avoid aggression. If there was constant fighting among the pack, there would be no energy to hunt nor motivation to work as a team. Dogs evolved from a wolf-like ancestor to fill a different niche than their wild counterparts. They learned to scavenge and live alongside humans, not compete.                

Sorry for spewing so much information, lol. I hope it didn’t come off as rude, that was not my intent in any way, shape, or form. The whole “dominance theory” is just a big pet peeve of mine and I like to throw out facts about it when I can. There are many better ways to train your dog and many resources out there that aren’t built around that theory.

I wanted to share this info on this blog as well. I have shared it before but I like to bring up the dominance theory when I can.